When might Newsom follow through on vows to close Aliso Canyon? He won’t say
Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- Will the Aliso Canyon gas storage field close soon? We chat with Times Climate Columnist Sammy Roth.
- Los Angeles County is suing “to stop the awful stench” at Chiquita Canyon landfill.
- Cooling it on the cocktails? Here are 4 tips for feeling festive without drinking this holiday season.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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Is the Aliso Canyon gas storage field closure on schedule? It’s complicated
The largest natural gas leak in U.S. history spewed over 100,000 tons of heat-trapping methane into the air over L.A.’s Porter Ranch neighborhood for more than 100 days, sickening thousands of people and forcing residents to flee.
The Aliso Canyon gas leak was an environmental disaster that continues to haunt communities in the northwest San Fernando Valley as research continues into the long-term health effects.
In 2017, facing pressure from community members, environmental activists and some state lawmakers, former Gov. Jerry Brown called for the facility’s permanent closure by 2027. Gov. Gavin Newsom later announced his administration’s goal to speed up that 10-year timeline.
So where do things stand now? Newsom would rather not talk about it. The California Public Utilities Commission completed a long-awaited study last month that outlines a “concrete path to consider reducing and eliminating reliance on” the Southern California Gas Co. facility.
That’s bureaucratese for not committing to close Aliso Canyon, which has been met with fury from climate and public health activists who have long been critical of the decision to keep the facility open.
Times climate columnist Sammy Roth explored the saga last week, writing that Newsom has since “abandoned his ambitious rhetoric” and “avoided acknowledging that pledge to Porter Ranch residents — even as his appointees prepare to vote [this] week on a plan that could keep Aliso Canyon operating into the 2030s.”
Sammy said the long-simmering controversy has an underlying theme that’s been a staple in his writing on the climate crisis and the mixed efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
“There are a lot of people who [consider it] a high priority in theory, until it means something inconvenient … and then climate can come later,” he told me this week. “If we’re really going to get this thing under control — or at least slowed down in a way that it doesn’t become even more catastrophic than it already is — it needs to start coming first and we have to just be willing to deal with things that are inconvenient a lot more often than we are now.”
Sammy also noted that the national environmental group Food & Water Watch announced a new six-figure ad campaign in key Democratic primary battleground states, with a video that calls out Newsom for the lack of progress in closing Aliso Canyon and questions his environmental record.
Here’s more from my conversation with Sammy (edited for clarity).
Politicians making promises and then failing to deliver on them is nothing new. Why should Californians care about this particular instance?
Sammy Roth: This is just an example of the kind of problem we’re going to have to figure out how to deal with if we want to move on from fossil fuels to clean energy. It’s a big piece of fossil fuel infrastructure that Los Angeles, unfortunately, is super dependent on right now; we use a lot of natural gas for heating and for cooking and for electricity generation.
Gov. Newsom and Gov. Brown before him made a big show of saying they were going to figure out how to get this thing shut down. A lot of years have gone by and it seems like we’ve made very little progress. And for a state and a city that are really determined to move beyond fossil fuels, that’s really unfortunate and shows you how hard this is going to be and why it’s important to hold politicians accountable.
What would it take to truly shake that dependence on fossil fuels — and how realistic is that, based on where we are right now?
SR: The fundamental reality is more money is needed, more education for contractors and for manufacturers and the people doing the installations. It’s just kind of this really big societal overhaul.
The technology is there. The costs are coming down. It needs to get to where electric vehicles are now — they’re making up (nearly) 25% of the market [in California]. We’re just not there yet with electric appliances and that needs to be scaled up really rapidly. Ultimately, [it will take] more willingness on the part of people to take the leap and accept the money and make these changes.
There’s no shortage of reporting on Newsom’s political aspirations. Do you think that’s factoring into his action or inaction — and if so, how so?
SR: It’s hard not to think it’s factored in. He wants to maintain his reputation as a champion for climate action and clean energy — and he’s done plenty for climate and clean energy. He’s also taken other actions that have fallen short of the really dramatic and aggressive action that scientists and activists rightfully say is needed.
You can read Sammy’s column here and sign up for The Times’ Boiling Point newsletter for more coverage.
Today’s top stories
Los Angeles County is suing “to stop the awful stench” at Chiquita Canyon landfill
- The county accuses the landfill’s owner of failing to control a high-temperature chemical reaction that is cooking garbage and sickening nearby residents.
- Regulators have ordered Chiquita Canyon staff to take steps to contain the reaction, but many of their efforts have been delayed or have failed to stop the stench from drifting into the nearby communities of Castaic and Val Verde.
Newsom wants to create more well-paying jobs for Californians, especially those who don’t have a college degree
- Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan to streamline and coordinate state and regional efforts to prepare students and workers for high-demand jobs with more hands-on learning, job-related skills and wider access to affordable education.
- The news comes as more people question the value of higher education and are unsure whether the economic payoff is worth the rising college costs.
The Supreme Court dismissed a challenge to California’s special authority to fight air pollution
- The justices turned away an appeal from Ohio and 16 other conservative states, which asked the court to rule “the Golden State is not a golden child.”
- The move closes the door on a constitutional challenge to California’s anti-pollution standards. But the court recently cleared the way for a different, more targeted legal challenge from oil and biofuel producers.
California has sweeping new rules for home insurance. Here’s what you need to know
- A revolution is underway in California’s insurance market that could provide relief to homeowners in high-fire-risk neighborhoods.
- State insurers next year will be allowed to use complex computer programs that predict future risk in setting rates.
What else is going on
- The federal judge who presided over Hunter Biden’s criminal tax fraud case was sued over an underage drinking party and an alleged beating.
- The Orange County GOP pushes back on “false claims of voter fraud” in the 2024 election.
- University unions rush to organize before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
- A judge ordered a California Bible college to cease operations after a state hearing.
- In the past week, California saw a tornado, a major wildfire and snow. More unstable weather is probably on the way.
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Commentary and opinions
- States are fighting one another over abortion laws, and California could get dragged in, columnist Anita Chabria writes.
- Newsom should make no more delays in shutting Aliso Canyon down, writes Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford.
- As Christmas and Hanukkah coincide this year, let there be lights, writes Eli Federman, a writer and private equity investor.
This morning’s must reads
She went to prison in the Varsity Blues admissions scandal. Now she says she was a scapegoat. In her first-ever interview, former USC athletic administrator Donna Heinel recounts her time at the epicenter of the Varsity Blues scandal, her four months in prison and her continued devotion to USC.
“I did my job description, and nowhere in time did I think this was nefarious,” she said.
Other must reads
- A literally low-down town in the California desert loves its flagpole — formerly the world’s tallest.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your downtime
Going out
- 🎄 Cooling it on the cocktails? Here are four tips for feeling festive without drinking this holiday season.
- 🫔 From local tortillerias to revered restaurants, here are the best places to buy tamale masa.
- 🪩 At the Earlybirds Club, you can dance, sweat and be in bed by 11 p.m.
- 🐔 What fast-food chain makes the best chicken tenders? Here’s our ranking.
- 🧘 And we want to know: What’s your favorite yoga studio in L.A.?
Staying in
- 📺 Here’s what Netflix’s “Maria” gets so wrong about the renowned opera singer, according to our classical music critic.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for roast pheasants with double cranberry sauce.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What is your favorite holiday movie?
Wanda R. writes: “‘The Apartment,’ starring Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray and Jack Lemmon.
“It takes place in 1960 and is filmed in black and white, largely indoors. It is a love story that is also a commentary on the times: a man who rises above the bitter rivalries of the rat race and callous, casual sexism toward women.”
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might be included in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your great photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Frank Damon of Pacific Palisades: Paradise Cove in Malibu.
Frank writes: “This is a semi-secluded area with a wonderful pier, many birds flying around looking for dinner and a terrific restaurant on the beach. Paradise Cove was the home of the trailer in ‘The Rockford Files,’ which was on TV in the ‘70s.”
Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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